Parasites of humans: Fleas are a parasite which feed on the blood of warm blooded animals, including
humans, dogs and cats.
Blood suckers: Fleas pierce the skin, inject an anti-coagulant chemical into the bloodstream of the host to
prevent blood clotting.
YUK but true: When fleas suck the blood from their host, some of the blood passes directly through
their rectum in order to lay their eggs.
Tapeworms: A flea bite can cause acute irritation, infection and transfer of other
parasites, including tapeworms. For irritable flea bites consult your pharmacist for an appropriate antiseptic cream or in more serious situations, your medical practitioner.
Dogs and cats: Fleas often enter a building on dogs and cats, and are commonly deposited in carpeted areas, in the garden, yard and under the building, particularly shaded sandy soil ares, on the southern side of the building (shaded areas).
Dormant in your carpets: In ideal hot humid weather, flea eggs may take only a few weeks to hatch in large numbers. In cooler times of the year, the flea eggs may lay dormant in carpets and subfloor areas for more than 12 months before hatching - generally during hot humid weather and all of a sudden, sometimes in plague proportions.
Summer holidays and you're the HOST: A uninhabited home that has been locked up for an extended period during hot humid weather, will act as an incubator for the dormant fleas to hatch in plague proportions. It is common-place for people who own a dog or cat, to return home from an extended summer vacation to find a house full of fleas.

Pest Control for Fleas

Vacuuming of carpets - it is essential for carpets and timber floor areas to be thoroughly vacuumed especially in low
traffic areas - under furniture - around edges of rooms - hallways - concrete pathways - before commencement of pest control flea insecticidal treatment.
Insecticide treatment - in severe cases there may be no practical alternative to insecticide treatment of likely habitat areas - particularly low traffic areas of carpeting - around the edges of timber flooring - dog or cat resting areas.
FUMAPEST uses a low hazard IGR synthetic pyrethroid insecticide - a light spray to carpet areas and upon drying it is brushed further into the carpet pile with a straw broom.
Insect Growth Regulator IGR - a ultra low hazard insecticide that acts specifically to inhibit development of the flea at the larva stage of their life
cycle. The IGR interfers with the flea moultnig process. Fleas moult several times from larvae to adulthood.
The flea larva is a small "grub" that lives in carpet, in cracks or joins of timber flooring and in soil areas. A readily accessible supply of organic matter, such as shed skin flakes from humans, is essential for it's development. This is the critical point in the life cycle of the flea.
With a heavy infestation of adult fleas the affected rooms should be fumigated with a similar insecticide dispensed through a fogging machine. This will provide immediate relief (like a flea "bomb") but with not kill the larva or egg sacs. The carpets and other areas should be treated as noted above with an IGR synthetic pyrethroid insecticide.
To help prevent reinfestation we recommend the home owner regularly vacuum carpets; regularly wash your dog or cat with shampoo containing a flea control
product; and restrict access of your dog or cat to any sub-floor areas, particularly
during the humid summer months. If your dog or cat regularly plays with stray dogs or cats then the transfer of fleas eggs is virtually certain during the hot humid months of the year.

The
cost for Professional Pest Control for fleas

The
cost for professional pest control for fleas will depend
upon many factors, including type of insecticide used, the size
of the property, the extent of infestation and ease of access to
sub-floor areas. FUMAPEST uses the safer, but more expensive pyrethroid
insecticides.
Expect
to pay about $200 to $250 for an average
size 3 bedroom home, with a small to medium garden area. Service
warranty periods may vary depending upon the circumstances
and risk of reinfestation.

Service
warranty period may vary due to flea pest
species - the severity of the infestation - environmental
factors that may promote reinfestation.

Consumer
Protection Advice - Pesticide Safety Issues

Pesticide
safety be wary of very cheap prices for flea control - check
which pesticides are to be used - do they propose to use the far cheaper,
less effective, solvent based pesticides which can
be acutely harmful in premises where occupants may suffer from asthmatic
or other bronchial ailments.
Be careful when
selecting a pest controller it's far too easy to get a State
Govt WorkCover issued Pest Control Licence and start up a pest control
business - using mostly unsupervised trainees who have little knowledge
of flea pest species or flea control pesticides .... more details